Technical Field
This disclosure generally relates to tractor-trailers and more particularly to tractor-trailers and towing tractors thereof that are convertible from a conventional steering arrangement to a stinger steering arrangement.
Description of the Related Art
Long haul tractor-trailers are known which feature conventional steering arrangements wherein the rear wheels of the trailer are aligned parallel to the hauled load. In this manner, the rear wheels may be considered passive. As a result, it is often difficult for such vehicles, particularly those having trailers of the 53 foot variety, to maneuver around tighter corners, roundabouts and other obstacles because the rear wheels do not track with the front wheels and tend to cut corners. As such, various tractor-trailer combinations may be provided with active steering of the rear wheels to assist in negotiating corners, roundabouts and other obstacles. In this context, active steering may refer to steering arrangements in which the rear wheels may be rotated relative to the hauled load to assist in steering activities. Some examples of tractor-trailers with active steering arrangements may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,972,540, 3,993,326, and 4,660,848 and European Patent No. 0034032, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Various known tractor-trailers having active steering functionality, however, may suffer from a variety of drawbacks or deficiencies. For example, the tractor-trailers may be overly complex or may require custom tractor units that may not be well suited to tow common trailer configurations, thereby diminishing the versatility of such tractors.